FAQ

1. Why shouldn’t I just buy a scanner and do it myself?

SIS NW, Inc. sells scanners and document capture software and can help you if there is a hard requirement to do the scanning internally. Unfortunately, these projects sometimes fail. On more than one occasion we’ve been called in to completely re-scan everything due to poor quality, poorly indexed records, and information being intermixed from different files.

A professional service bureau can complete your project faster, cheaper, and with better quality than doing it in-house.

Here are some of the reasons for partnering with a professional service bureau:

• Efficiency. Labor is typically the biggest cost of scanning. We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and software to maximize efficiency. Our scanners will capture up to 300 images per minute, which dramatically reduces the cost per scan. Our software allows us to utilize existing data to automatically index your records, reducing costs and improving accuracy.

• Space. Scanning jobs require considerable space to effectively manage the workflow which includes document preparation, scanning, quality control, and indexing. If you don’t have the room to manage your workflow you risk the possibility of either missing records and not scanning them or inter-mixing files.

• Workflow. A professional service bureau utilizes project management principles and sophisticated workflow tools to manage every step of the process, tracking the project throughout the process as well as who worked on it and when. This makes it easy to track efficiency and re-train workers if errors are encountered.

• Quality. In our operation, a different staff member performs each step of the process so that the work done in the previous step is reviewed by a different team member and then the final work product is independently reviewed by a quality inspector and supervisor before being released to the customer. When scanning in-house, the same person that made a mistake is often reviewing their own work (or not) and errors are much more common.

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2. How long will it take to get my scanning done?

It depends on the project requirements and what other projects we’re currently working on, but we have the capacity to process hundreds of boxes per month. We’ll work with you to establish a time frame that meets your needs.
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3. What if I need a document or file after I have sent you my boxes of records?

Because of our superior box tracking system, we are able to find your document and get it back to you via fax, encrypted e-mail or delivered within 4 hours from when you notify us. [ return to top ]

4. We want to keep the costs down, how can we do that?

There are a number of ways to control costs. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of file thinning with you, utilize existing databases for indexing if possible, and present other options that give you control over how much you spend.
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5. We want to be able to find a document after it is scanned. How do we do that?

SIS NW, Inc. will consult with you to understand how you currently find your paper files and then apply that methodology to the scanned files. We can use optical character recognition (OCR) technology so that you can search for words within the documents. Our free viewer and our web hosting software both provide the ability to do partial text searches. We’ll make it easier to find the digital file than it is to find the paper record. [ return to top ]

6. My documents are older and have been used extensively and have some marks on them. Will those show up too?

We utilize Kofax VRS technology (http://www.kofaxvrs.com/vrs-virtualrescan) in all of our scanning equipment to ensure the best quality possible. We can dramatically improve quality, drop out forms and shading, and will produce images with much smaller file sizes than images scanned without VRS. [ return to top ]

7. What does HIPAA compliance and SAS 70 certified mean and why are they important to me?

HIPAA (Health Insurance Privacy and Accountability Act) was enacted in 1996 to establish privacy standards for health care records. Failure to comply with these standards can result in severe penalties, up to $250,000 and ten years in prison for an individual and up to $1,500,000 for an organization (http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/solutions-managing-your-practice/coding-billing-insurance/hipaahealth-insurance-portability-accountability-act/hipaa-violations-enforcement.shtml)

Spectrum Information Services NW, Inc. contracts with an independent auditor to perform an annual HIPAA audit (certificate of compliance available upon request) to ensure that patient privacy is safeguarded while records are in our care.

SAS 70 (Statement on Auditing Standards No. 70) is an auditing statement issued by the Auditing Standards Board of the American Institute of CPA’s. It provides guidance to service auditors when assessing the internal controls of a service organization.

What this means to you is that if an organization has a SAS 70 certificate or uses a third-party with a SAS 70 certificate, then you know that they meet a very stringent process for protecting data entrusted to them.

Our sales team would be happy to discuss with you the implications of having a SAS 70 certificate.
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8. We have an application and would like the scanned images to be imported to that system. Can you do that?

SISNW has provided that service to many of our customers. We have completed over 175 interfaces between scanned images and applications. Our sales team will be happy to go over the process to export scanned images into your system. In most cases, there is no extra charge for that service. [ return to top ]

9. Does SISNW provide a document management application?

We provide a free document management application for basic search and retrieval. Our web portal provides the functionality of a high end Electronic Content Management (ECM) system, including security, workflow, and audit tracking at a fraction of the cost. Check with your sales person and they will discuss your needs and help you select the right vendor for your needs. [ return to top ]